Malzahar - League of Legends Champion
Win Rate
51.4%
Pick Rate
4.7%

Malzaharvs Nocturne

SMage
Patch26.7
Matches949,984
LaneAll Lanes
TierAll Tiers
Last UpdatedApr 21, 2026
MethodologyData Methodology

Malzahar vs Nocturne is a decisive matchup in LoL patch 26.7. Nocturne wins with a 57.1% win rate (+14.3%) over Malzahar based on 7 games. Malzahar wins the early laning phase while Nocturne scales better into the late game. Below you'll find the best Malzahar build, runes, laning stats, and strategies for the Malzahar vs Nocturne matchup.

Malzahar Matchup Breakdown

Use the dropdown to select an opponent and see a detailed breakdown of how Malzahar performs against them. You'll get head-to-head win rates, laning stats, the best build and runes for the matchup, and early vs late game analysis — all based on real ranked data.

Compare against an opponent
Nocturne - 42.9% win rateNocturne(42.9%)
Malzahar - 42.9% win rate in this matchup
Malzahar
42.9% WR
VS
Nocturne vs Malzahar matchup - 57.1% win rate
Nocturne
57.1% WR

Who Wins the Malzahar vs Nocturne Matchup?

Nocturne wins the Malzahar vs Nocturne matchup
Winner
Nocturne
Matches: 7
42.9%
Win Rate
57.1%
5.8
CS / min
5.2
745
DMG / min
831
10,338
Gold / game
12,012
102
Heal / min
464
518
DMG Mitigated / min
752
1.5
CC / min
5.2
75.0%
Early Game WR
25.0%
0.0%
Late Game WR
100.0%

Malzahar vs Nocturne Matchup Summary

The Malzahar vs Nocturne matchup is a decisive matchup in League of Legends ranked play. Based on 7 recent matches analyzed, Nocturne wins with a 57.1% win rate compared to Malzahar's 42.9%, giving Nocturne a 14.3 percentage point advantage. Game phase dynamics play a critical role here: Malzahar controls the early laning stage, but Nocturne outscales as the game goes longer. The matchup shifts dramatically depending on game length — Malzahar needs to press advantages before Nocturne reaches their power spikes, while Nocturne should focus on safe farming and hitting key item breakpoints. The most significant statistical gap is in crowd control, where Nocturne leads by 3.6s CC/min — a difference that heavily influences the outcome of trades and skirmishes. Nocturne has a strong advantage in this matchup. Malzahar players should play defensively, prioritize safe farming under tower, and look for opportunities created by jungle pressure or Nocturne overextending. Avoid prolonged trades and wait for team fights where positioning and coordination matter more. Understanding these matchup dynamics is essential for champion select decisions and in-game strategy when facing this lane opponent.

Malzahar vs Nocturne Laning Phase Breakdown

Nocturne wins the laning phase against Malzahar in League of Legends

Nocturne is favored during the laning phase against Malzahar, winning 4 out of 5 key stat categories. Nocturne holds advantages in damage, gold income, crowd control and sustain, making them the stronger laner in this matchup.

Farming
5.8Malzahar
5.2Nocturne
Malzahar edges out Nocturne by 0.7 CS per minute — a moderate farming advantage that adds up to roughly 10 CS over a 15-minute laning phase. This translates to earlier component purchases and slightly faster power spikes for Malzahar.
Damage
745Malzahar
831Nocturne
Nocturne heavily out-damages Malzahar by 86 DMG/min, dominating both short trades and all-in fights. Malzahar should avoid extended combat and instead focus on burst trade patterns — short engages followed by immediate disengagement — to avoid letting Nocturne's sustained damage advantage take over.
Economy
10,338Malzahar
12,012Nocturne
Nocturne generates a commanding 1,673 more gold per game than Malzahar. This substantial economic advantage means Nocturne consistently reaches key item breakpoints earlier, creating a compounding lead that grows throughout the game. Malzahar should focus on cost-effective item choices and avoid unnecessary deaths to prevent falling further behind.
Utility
1.5Malzahar
5.2Nocturne
Nocturne brings significantly more crowd control than Malzahar, with 3.6 more seconds of CC per minute. This large utility gap makes Nocturne far more valuable in setting up jungle ganks, controlling objectives, and locking down targets in team fights. Malzahar should invest in tenacity and position carefully to avoid being chain-CC'd.
Sustain
620Malzahar
1,217Nocturne
Nocturne vastly out-sustains Malzahar, healing and mitigating 597 more damage per minute. This massive durability gap means Nocturne can absorb significant punishment and remain in lane while Malzahar is forced to recall. Building grievous wounds early is essential for Malzahar, and focusing on burst trade patterns rather than sustained fights is critical.

Best Malzahar Build Against Nocturne

Sorcerer's Shoes is the optimal boots choice against Nocturne, providing the mobility and stats Malzahar needs most in this matchup. The top-performing core items for Malzahar against Nocturne are Liandry's Torment, Shadowflame and Malignance. This combination gives Malzahar an effective balance of damage, survivability, and utility for the matchup. Adjustments may be needed based on team compositions and game state, but this build provides the strongest foundation for the Malzahar vs Nocturne matchup.

Early Game vs Late Game

Early Game
Malzahar
75.0%
+50.0% advantage
Malzahar early game win rateMalzahar75.0%
Nocturne early game win rateNocturne25.0%
Late Game
Nocturne
100.0%
+100.0% advantage
Malzahar late game win rateMalzahar0.0%
Nocturne late game win rateNocturne100.0%

Malzahar dominates the early game (first 15 minutes) with a commanding 75.0% win rate — a 50.0 percentage point lead over Nocturne. This lopsided early game means Malzahar can dictate the pace of the lane from level 1, controlling trades, wave state, and river priority.

Nocturne is far superior in the late game (25+ minutes), boasting a 100.0% win rate — 100.0 points above Malzahar. Extended games heavily favor Nocturne, whose kit and scaling make them a dominant force in team fights and objective control.

This matchup features a dramatic power shift: Malzahar must aggressively press their early advantage and close out the game before Nocturne reaches their scaling breakpoints. If Nocturne survives the laning phase without falling too far behind, the matchup flips in their favor. Dragon and Rift Herald control are pivotal — the team that secures early objectives can snowball or buy time to scale.

Best Malzahar Runes Against Nocturne

Sorcery rune tree - Malzahar primary runes vs NocturneSorcery
Arcane Comet - best Malzahar rune vs NocturneManaflow Band - best Malzahar rune vs NocturneTranscendence - best Malzahar rune vs NocturneGathering Storm - best Malzahar rune vs Nocturne
Inspiration rune tree - Malzahar secondary runes vs NocturneInspiration
Magical Footwear - best Malzahar rune vs NocturneCosmic Insight - best Malzahar rune vs Nocturne
100.0% WR

The Sorcery and Inspiration rune setup gives Malzahar the best tools to compete against Nocturne in this difficult matchup, compensating for the statistical disadvantages with optimal rune synergies.


Malzahar matchup data for League of Legends patch 26.7. The table below shows Malzahar's win rate, gold difference, and performance stats against every champion in the current meta. Click any champion name to see a detailed head-to-head breakdown including the best Malzahar build, runes, laning stats, and early vs late game analysis for that specific matchup.

Malzahar matchup win rates and stats in League of Legends patch 26.7
Opponent
Win Rate
Matches
CS/min
DMG/min
Gold/game
Early WR
Late WR
52.87%2447.688412,88446.3%57.0%
61.31%1997.492812,26256.2%65.5%
54.07%1727.787612,74754.3%53.9%
55.56%1627.576212,80061.7%52.0%
42.41%1587.680012,27643.1%41.9%
52.90%1387.587712,42446.7%57.7%
42.65%1367.581812,84644.0%41.9%
52.99%1347.691412,34247.3%57.0%
57.98%1197.394513,24659.0%57.5%
55.08%1187.577812,34152.0%57.4%
42.73%1107.483212,11041.7%43.5%
54.13%1097.791813,22755.6%53.4%
50.46%1097.579811,13046.5%54.9%
53.70%1087.685912,05754.4%53.2%
51.16%867.990112,59054.5%47.6%
50.59%857.588811,38045.5%56.1%
48.78%827.479812,26753.9%44.2%
58.54%827.878911,42363.0%52.8%
48.15%817.577211,88748.7%47.6%
49.38%817.782312,33060.0%43.1%
48.10%797.581412,63545.5%50.0%
48.10%797.583212,88336.7%55.1%
58.33%727.583311,50466.7%48.5%
47.89%717.287712,76564.3%37.2%
49.30%717.882211,96347.4%51.5%
62.69%677.687712,77462.1%63.2%
55.22%677.584912,31051.7%57.9%
52.31%657.483812,02359.4%45.5%
54.69%647.692112,89465.6%43.8%
50.79%637.586511,68751.7%50.0%
58.06%627.896512,86458.1%58.1%
57.63%598.196312,38665.4%51.5%
42.86%497.51,15912,85642.1%43.3%
50.00%487.285711,37953.6%45.0%
55.32%477.81,05612,94660.0%53.1%
50.00%467.381812,04752.4%48.0%
46.67%457.889911,65673.7%26.9%
38.10%427.675912,66143.8%34.6%
60.00%407.974211,38866.7%50.0%
54.05%377.790413,24658.3%52.0%
55.56%367.787913,00358.8%52.6%
68.57%357.696313,77471.4%66.7%
48.57%357.181711,36952.6%43.8%
60.71%288.080712,63383.3%43.8%
39.29%287.782511,47041.7%37.5%
40.00%257.490412,44037.5%41.2%
58.33%247.797813,21075.0%41.7%
39.13%237.395812,54128.6%43.8%
60.87%237.593813,75566.7%57.1%
59.09%227.491713,34385.7%46.7%
45.45%227.294614,42950.0%43.8%
54.55%227.71,05614,40080.0%47.1%
57.14%218.41,02010,76570.0%45.5%
55.00%207.981012,90066.7%37.5%
50.00%187.792813,33762.5%40.0%
61.11%187.575111,78740.0%87.5%
35.29%177.592511,50845.5%16.7%
58.82%177.390612,76360.0%58.3%
43.75%166.778612,71950.0%41.7%
56.25%168.21,05513,02642.9%66.7%
40.00%157.087612,93425.0%45.5%
33.33%158.075912,25157.1%12.5%
86.67%157.683213,786100.0%81.8%
64.29%147.693313,40383.3%50.0%
57.14%147.492313,59250.0%62.5%
61.54%138.091114,04350.0%71.4%
46.15%137.476710,46755.6%25.0%
27.27%117.596012,5490.0%42.9%
63.64%117.963812,68050.0%71.4%
50.00%107.978911,32360.0%40.0%
60.00%106.784911,95066.7%50.0%
20.00%108.075011,78420.0%20.0%
40.00%105.91,00610,62733.3%50.0%
70.00%107.677914,51550.0%83.3%
40.00%107.884714,00240.0%40.0%
60.00%107.891112,64766.7%57.1%
77.78%97.01,11013,17050.0%85.7%
33.33%97.684312,22350.0%20.0%
66.67%98.078712,21580.0%50.0%
55.56%97.976915,314100.0%42.9%
50.00%87.895814,335100.0%33.3%
50.00%84.259110,14940.0%66.7%
37.50%87.781610,78325.0%50.0%
25.00%87.485914,90325.0%25.0%
42.86%75.874510,33875.0%0.0%
100.00%78.497613,684100.0%100.0%
57.14%77.991116,14733.3%75.0%
14.29%77.478211,67533.3%0.0%
42.86%76.880012,7320.0%75.0%
83.33%63.16229,628100.0%75.0%
83.33%69.282611,22666.7%100.0%
16.67%67.272214,2200.0%20.0%
50.00%68.07509,58133.3%66.7%
100.00%68.71,19116,508100.0%100.0%
66.67%67.798812,6090.0%100.0%
0.00%67.36119,8530.0%0.0%
83.33%67.163312,20166.7%100.0%
33.33%67.896011,89233.3%33.3%
40.00%57.287412,86466.7%0.0%
80.00%57.26408,401100.0%50.0%
40.00%58.178513,05333.3%50.0%

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Malzahar vs Nocturne - Frequently Asked Questions

How does Malzahar do against Nocturne in League of Legends?

Nocturne wins the Malzahar vs Nocturne matchup with a 57.1% win rate compared to Malzahar's 42.9%, a 14.3 percentage point difference. This data is based on 7 recent ranked games in patch 26.7.

How does Malzahar do against Nocturne in the early game?

In the early game, Malzahar has the advantage against Nocturne with a 75.0% win rate versus 25.0%. Malzahar players should look to press their lane advantage through aggressive trades and wave control during the first 15 minutes.

How does Malzahar do against Nocturne in the late game?

In the late game, Nocturne takes over the Malzahar vs Nocturne matchup with a 100.0% win rate compared to 0.0%. Nocturne scales better into team fights and objective contests after 25 minutes.

Who wins the Malzahar vs Nocturne matchup?

Nocturne wins the matchup against Malzahar with a 57.1% win rate in League of Legends patch 26.7. The 14.3 percentage point advantage means Nocturne is significantly favored in this lane matchup based on 7 games analyzed.

What is the best Malzahar build against Nocturne?

The best Malzahar build against Nocturne includes Liandry's Torment, Shadowflame, Malignance with Sorcerer's Shoes. Check the matchup breakdown above for the full item path and build order.

What are the best Malzahar runes against Nocturne?

The best Malzahar runes against Nocturne use the Sorcery primary tree with Inspiration secondary. This rune setup achieves a 100.0% win rate in the Malzahar vs Nocturne matchup. See the full rune breakdown in the matchup comparison above.

Does Malzahar counter Nocturne?

No, Malzahar struggles against Nocturne with only a 42.9% win rate. Nocturne has the advantage in this matchup. Malzahar players should focus on safe farming and avoiding extended trades to minimize Nocturne's lead.

How do I play Malzahar against Nocturne?

When playing Malzahar against Nocturne, play cautiously and avoid Nocturne's power spikes. Look for jungle assistance and team-dependent plays since Nocturne has the statistical advantage at most stages. Use the matchup-specific build and runes above to optimize your chances.